By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna

After several months of going back- and -forth, the commissioner in charge of the ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Kaduna State, Mr. Samuel Aruwan has reportedly invited the families of personnel of Kaduna State Vigilantes Service (KAGVS) killed in some of the attacks by bandits wm, an insider Jameel Abdulrahaman has hinted.

Although no reason has been advanced for inviting them, Abdulrahaman, a survivor and personnel of the state’s vigilante squad who gave the hint in a phone conversation with our correspondent ,alleged that “The commissioner said he wants to see the families of those who lost their loved ones”.

It would be recalled that over 202 of the vigilante personnel were engaged under KAGVS and deployed to fight bandits terrorising the state alongside the military personnel for eight months and later withdrawn without entitlements paid to survivors and those killed in war front.

Seven months after their disengagement, a cold war ensued between the survived personnel and their leaders, and Kaduna state government over non payment of death benefits for those who lost their lives and entitlements for the survived personnel.

The two leading crusaders, Jameel Abdulrahaman and Umar A.Tijani, were suspended from the service, an action the personnel had described as “Use and dump”, government tactice.

In an aggressive Interview earlier sought with our correspondent, the suspended leader of the aggrieved vigilantes, said nothing like death benefits was given to the three of their dead colleagues’ family, for paying the supreme price alongside 20 army personnel killed.

The duo had earlier told our reporter in Kaduna that they were brought back from the field operation locations and dropped on the street about seven months ago without any promise, or appreciation or compensation.

According to Abdulrahaman and Tijani, several complaint letters were written to relevant authorities, including the Commissioner and copies sent to the Police Commissioner and others, but the letters only earned them suspension.

“Some of our colleagues died on the operation field and no dead benefits were given to them. So, we are doing this for the dead colleagues to have their own Entitlement And Their Death benefits, Including our own entitlement.

“Kaduna State should give us recommendation letter for what we are doing to protect the Nation and the State. We fot nothing from them when back from the operation Ffeld 7 Months age.

“They just left us behind In our places without any concern. We drop out for lack of concern and no allowance. Now we ask of entitlement, and they start fighting us.
“We have not been paid anything aside the N10,000 they gave Each of us then, when they opene account for us In Zenith Bank and the N5,000 they give us when going to Kachia. Apart from that N15,000, no money Joined us with them again,” they lamented.

According him, “Over 1,000 of the volunteers Joined the training. The number of those taken to Operation Field was 202 People. They keep us At Sabon Birinin defensive location and Buruku Military defensive locations, where we were later dispatched to practical operations –that’s the flash spots.

Abdulrahaman, while commending the rights group currently mediating for doing well, he however noted that the performance of first one was not satisfactory, adding that nothing has been paid them till now.